


Rose hips and Moonlight

by Floris_Oren



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Afterlife, Gen, but what about Atem?, slight depression, the Egyptian God's acting like cats is my favorite thing, we only ever talk about Yuugi after the ceremonial duel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 08:23:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14398134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floris_Oren/pseuds/Floris_Oren
Summary: Atem's first night after the ceremonial duel is anything but happy.(please read notes for explanation of surroundings.)





	Rose hips and Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> okay, so to preface this fic. Egyptians believed that the afterlife is much like actual life. So they buried their loved ones with food and clothing and stuff they would need in the afterlife. I've used this here. I decided I also needed to explain that because not a lot of people know that sort of thing and it's integral to understanding this fic.   
> also, we always talk about Yuugi after "losing" Atem. but we never talk about Atem. This is my attempt at trying to make sense of things.

Loneliness smells like rosehips and moonlight; truthfully, the bath awaiting him is infused with rose oil and petals. The moonlight tippy-toes in through the balcony along with a soft wind. It chills his skin where he’s already taken a warm, damp cloth to it. Washing up before getting into the warmer water of the copper tub. 

 

Stark garnet eyes avoided the mirror before him as far as he was able; every moment he looked is another moment he can’t forget. Another second he reminds himself that he is where he “belongs”. As Mahad had said upon showing him to the quarters that’d been sitting and waiting for him for thousands upon thousands of years. 

 

The room looks similar as his childhood room had. And it’s cozy. Slifer curled up next to a lamp giving off a dark yellow. The room is mostly shadow. Except for his bed and where he is washing. A servant left some dates, wine and bread for him. He hasn’t touched anything but a bite of a date. He gave the rest to Obelisk who is also warming himself by Slifer. 

 

The Egyptian gods watch him carefully as he washes, then steps into the hot water to soak; they watch him choke on tears he’s trying to hold back. Walking away from his friends had to be the hardest thing he’s ever had to do; because there’s not a “let’s go get them.” after. 

 

He can’t regain them because he isn’t supposed to; manufacturing his loss was the hardest part. Not because of his pride. He could take a loss to Yuugi. Probably the only person in his life he was alright with losing too; but making certain that Yuugi was ready for this was harder; because Atem didn’t much think he’d been ready for it and now it was hitting him in the balls. Metaphorically. 

 

He ignored Obelisk, Slifer and Osiris as he quietly weeps into the bath water; he doesn’t see a shadow passing over the wall of what little glow the lamp gives off. He startles when two bare arms entwine themselves around him. 

 

“Hush, my Pharoah.” Mahad said. “No one is asking you to forget or not to grieve.” 

 

Grieve? Atem felt so stupid in that second; of course. Who said grief was only for the living? He was grieving the life he never had and the friends he’d left behind. He knew that it’d be a blink of an eye for him - that one day they would die and join him. But until then he had to wait. 

 

And he hadn’t given himself time to have these thoughts before the last ceremonial duel; he and Yuugi had gotten too caught up in the mission of it all. No one had actually thought it was a permanent thing. 

 

It made Atem wish he’d treasured all of those moments with Yuugi more when they actually happened. He couldn’t stop the tears, or the small sounds he made as they slid from his eyes. 

 

Mahad, being the protector he was, didn’t say another word. He just held Atem as much as he could. 

 

~*~

 

Cotton covers are pulled up over a tired Pharoah; Mahad dampens the lamp; Slifer is the first to claw at the covers until he can get under. Raw perches atop the bed frame and Osiris settles on the pillow next to Atem. Each keeping a vigil on the boy they’ve come to protect and love. 

 

Mahad sighs fondly at the four of them; then frowns. They all knew it’d be a big adjustment for Atem once he was free of the puzzle. But had they expected him to overcome it in an hour? Mahad decided he’d have to talk to everyone. They needed to give Atem time to adjust. 

 

He took a look around the balcony; just to make sure no one was lurking about. And if he posted an extra guard around the room. No one said anything to him about it. 


End file.
